1975: Sea King helicopter heralds new era in search and rescue

An RAF Sea King Air Sea Rescue helicopter and crewman pictured in 2006. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

In 1975, the sinking of the cargo ship the Lovat with the loss of 11 livesin rough seas off Penzance raised questions about the effectiveness of Whirlwind helicopters for use in sea rescues. The Guardian leader column below was published in the aftermath of the Lovat tragedy and echoed the growing call for the more powerful Sea King helicopters to be used instead. The Sea King later became the helicopter of choice for the Royal Navy Search and Rescue. Nowadays the iconic helicopters are scrambled at least 200 times annually.

Sign up for the Guardian Today

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.